The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

Its Thursday and that means its time for multimedia man Alex Fitch to tell us about the radio shows, podcasts and other events he is involved in, including, I notice, a chat with one of the FP blog’s favourites, Marc Ellerby (that noise you heard was Richard falling off his seat in excitement). As ever for more details and links to archived podcast versions of previous shows check the Panel Borders site; Marc Ellerby’s best of the Year can be found here on the blog:
Strip!: The work of Marc Ellerby, this evening at 5pm on Resonance FM

In the second of this month’s shows about four generations of British cartoonists, Alex Fitch is talking to artist and writer Marc Ellerby, who has self-published a variety of small press autobiographical comics, drawn Love the way you love by Jamie S. Rich for Oni Press and the back-up strip for the latest issue of Image Comics’ critically acclaimed Phonogram. Marc is currently exhibiting original artwork in the Drawn! (see below) exhibition at Brent Museum and throughout last year ran a Manga Club at a bookshop in Lakeside in Essex…

(a recent excerpt from Ellerbisms, by and (c) Marc Ellerby)

In Tenderpixel Gallery:Electric Sheep Live! Thursday 15th at 6pm, Tenderpixel Gallery, 10 Cecil Court, London, WC2N 4HE

Be warmed by refreshments and tasty readings with Electric Sheep writers Alex Fitch, James Evans, Jeff Hilson and Virginie Sélavy, who will be reading pieces from the magazine’s winter issue. Expect to hear about Tim Burton’s Christmas Trilogy (Batman Returns / Edward Scissorhands / The Nightmare beofre Christmas), Icelandic film Cold Fever, Christmas slasher movies, Guy Maddin’s Alpine melodrama Careful and 70s Japanese revenge tale Lady Snowblood.

In print:  the Electric Sheep Magazine Winter issue 2008 is available in shops now and features reviews of Hansel and Gretel / Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth by Alex Fitch, and Lady Snowblood / Far North by Virginie Selavy. Alex also looks at the Christmas Trilogy by Tim Burton (Batman Returns / The Nightmare before Christmas / Edward Scissorhands), there’s a comic strip review of Kamikaze Girls by Dan Lester and illustrations by Mark Stafford, Lee O’Connor and Tom Humberstone.

The all new January electronic issue of ESM is online now and includes a review of Frost / Nixon by Sarah Cronin, Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia by Pat Long, the new Korean version of Hansel and Gretel by Alex Fitch, and a transcript of Alex’s interview with Michael Winterbottom about Code 46 and breaking the fourth wall in 24 hour party people and A cock and bull story…
Recent podcasts...:

Panel Borders: The work of Raymond Briggs

In the first Panel Borders of 2009, Alex Fitch is talks to the beloved British children’s illustrator Raymond Briggs who in the 1970s created some of the most treasured kids books of the late twentieth century such as The Snowman, Father Christmas and Fungus the Bogeyman which were all turned into successful and memorable animated cartoons in the following decade.

Panel Borders: The work of Bevis Musson

Alex Fitch talks to Bevis Musson the British Indie creator of Oddcases and Queen of Diamonds. Alex and Bevis talk about sexuality in super-hero comics, British eccentrics who investigate strange goings on, how the latter’s background in costume design influences his comics and about the gay small press comics scene in general.